Document fraud sting arrests two at Newark DMV

(Trenton) – State Police detectives assigned to the Division of Motor Vehicles’ Document Fraud Squad arrested two North Jersey residents in the parking lot of the Newark DMV agency located on Frelinghuysen Avenue, as part of an on-going investigation into driver license fraud and identity theft.

Alejandro Roberto Mayora-Ore, 24, of Columbus Avenue in Belleville, and Almira Marques Polvora, 35, of Madison Street in Newark, were arrested at 9:20 a.m. when they arrived at the facility. Detectives had been looking for Mayora-Ore after they learned that he had registered a vehicle in the name of an Irvington resident, whose identification information had been stolen.

A search of the 1992 Saturn that Mayora-Ore and Polvora occupied resulted in the discovery of numerous New Jersey Driver License applications, examination permits, numerous passports, counterfeit birth certificates, counterfeit INS naturalization certificates, and Social Security cards. Approximately 5.4 ounces of cocaine valued at $15,000 was also found in the car. The Saturn was seized and towed to a storage facility.

Mayora-Ore and Polvora were both charged with Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance, Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance with the intent to Distribute, Criminal Simulation, Conspiracy, Forgery, and Tampering with Public Records. They were lodged in the Essex County Jail pending arraignment.

"Today’s arrests are proof of this Administration’s commitment to cleaning up New Jersey’s DMV," said Acting Transportation Commissioner Jack Lettiere. "We’ve made much progress over the past year with background checks for our 500 agency employees, new document fraud training and implementation of a digitized driver’s license. But the work is far from over and the investigation and arrests will continue until the job is done."

In the past six months, more than 80 people have been arrested for using fraudulent documents to obtain New Jersey driver’s licenses at DMV agencies. DMV Director Diane Legreide attributes the arrests to the agency’s heightened awareness of the problem of identity theft.

"These arrests mark a significant step in our efforts to stop document fraud and identity theft in New Jersey," Legreide said. "By arresting the people who we believe are trafficking these fraudulent documents and arresting those who purchase and attempt to use them, we are sending a message that is very loud and clear that this type of criminal behavior will not be tolerated at the Division of Motor Vehicles."

Former Transportation Commissioner Jamie Fox and Attorney General David Samson created a joint Document Fraud Task Force in October in response to the growing problem of document fraud and identity theft. This new training program is one of a series of corrective measures recommended by Gov. James E. McGreevey’s Fix DMV Commission.

The Commission recommended that DMV immediately institute document fraud training for the 500 employees at the division’s 45 agencies statewide. DMV staff, working in conjunction with the State Police, the Attorney General’s Office and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA), developed a curriculum and a task force dedicated to training staff. In the past four months, 90 employees at nine DMV agencies have undergone document fraud training.